Can Video Gaming Educate Us?

[Zorogami]

I think besides the things that have already been mentioned, games can also teach values and dive into moral and philosophical problems and decisions. Take for example games that let you be either good or bad. Depending on your choices, people around you react differently, like they would in a real world scenario. The player can pick a side, but he also has to live with the consequences. If we look at the game "The Darkness", one could say its a metaphor for how power and vengeance corrupt people and end up destroying them.

So yeah, video games can be very educational

 

[Sonata]

I know personally games have at least expanded my vocabulary if nothing else. The Final Fantasy series in particular uses words that a lot of times during gameplay I had to pull out a dictionary to figure exactly what it was they were saying. Strategy games increased my ability to think ahead and gave me a basic understanding of probability.

 

[Orogenes]

Some of them can, And some of them will not.
Depends on the game you are playing.

My sentiment exactly. I can't say I've learn a lot from playing games like Super Mario World or Golden Eye, however some games like Portal or any entry in the Professor Layton-series might at least train your brain a bit. I can personally say that games like The Curse of Monkey Island or The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time helped me a great deal with my English vocabulary as a child, and I learnt a lot about ancient Egypt from an old Windows 95 computer game. City simulators like Tropico might not teach you anything about city planning, but it might still plant an interest and make you start thinking about it.

In the end however, the primary function for a game as far as I'm concerned is to entertain and not to educate, so if it fails in the latter endeavour I can't blame it.

 

[Dustmop]

Can't comment on DayZ as I haven't experienced it but if you're saying that it could help, it may be true.
I still want shooter that would require precise calculations for shooting and aiming xD

I haven't played them myself, but I'd still venture to say that the Sniper: Ghost Warrior games are the best we're getting in that department for now. There, bullet trajectories are subject to wind, gravity, and flight time. There's more to it, but it's a lot better than the old Resident Evils where you held your gun over the dog.. and still hit the dog.

I want to agree that you can sort of learn about shooting a real gun by playing a shooter, as I had played plenty before I fired for the first time I'm inclined to believe the prior knowledge helped a bit. But I'm not really sure, the whole thing just came natural.

I think besides the things that have already been mentioned, games can also teach values and dive into moral and philosophical problems and decisions. Take for example games that let you be either good or bad. Depending on your choices, people around you react differently, like they would in a real world scenario. The player can pick a side, but he also has to live with the consequences.

I have to say.. games with moral choices taught me nothing. xD
I've always chosen my paths based on what was best for my character and I always assumed everyone else did that, too. My big question always was, "Which option will land me with the better gear?"
For example, Fallout 3 and NV. In Fallout 3 I was evil because it was most beneficial to my character, whereas in New Vegas I was usually a saint (save for achievement-required run of the Legion story) because it was most beneficial.

I'm not knocking your response, just saying that there's plenty of us out there who didn't care about the morality of the situation and didn't take anything home from it. My feelings have always been: It's a game, just shoot the guy, take his stuff, and leave.

 

[Yukari]

Simply put: Yes, video games can be educational.
And I'm not talking about Bull**** edutainment games either.

• Real Time strategy games such as Starcraft 2 are very helpful. The strategy elements help to improve your mental capacity and to sort out your advantages and discover the best way to overpower your enemies. Not to mention they help with multitasking.
• Action RPGs help improve reflexes. While not educational it is something.
• And lastly puzzle games, but that's pretty much self explanatory.

 

[Sonata]

Video games can also change your system of belief, outlook on life, they teach about morals, consequences, some games have practical alchemy and lockpicking and other side skills, there's a lot that games can have to offer if the mind is open to listening.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Video games can also change your system of belief, outlook on life, they teach about morals, consequences, some games have practical alchemy and lockpicking and other side skills, there's a lot that games can have to offer if the mind is open to listening.

Wait, wait... alchemy? I don't want to bash my favorite science but isn't alchemy kinda obsolete in this age?

 

[Raine]

Hm, based on the previous responses, I wouldn't necessarily call video games "educational" in the sense that they provide us with additional knowledge that we may or may not have possessed originally, but rather they increase our mentalities. Like other members have mentioned, decision making, problem solving, etc. are all traits that are attributed to our cognitive processes, and I think that's the major benefit from video games. Of course there will be those individuals who argue video games lead to violence, but essentially, putting the content aside, the minuscule details and workings of video games I believe actually help us.

 

[Sonata]

Wait, wait... alchemy? I don't want to bash my favorite science but isn't alchemy kinda obsolete in this age?

Traditional medicine sometimes involves the transmutation of natural substances, using pharmacological or a combination of pharmacological and spiritual techniques. In Ayurveda the samskaras are claimed to transform heavy metals and toxic herbs in a way that removes their toxicity. These processes are actively used to the present day.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Traditional medicine sometimes involves the transmutation of natural substances, using pharmacological or a combination of pharmacological and spiritual techniques. In Ayurveda the samskaras are claimed to transform heavy metals and toxic herbs in a way that removes their toxicity. These processes are actively used to the present day.

I don't deny that, but can it still be considered true alchemy with the pursuit of Ruby Prism/Sage Stone?

 

[Oryx]

Video games are effective not because they're more educational than anything else in particular, but because they manage to get a lot more in - it's like microtransactions. Spending a dollar on a gambling pack in a cash shop is, on its face, less than the 60 dollars you'd spend on a game, but if you end up buying 75 of those packs looking for the item you want the game company ends up with more money. While you may not learn English as fast as when you read a book, a person may be able to stand playing 5 hours of a video game and only 1 hour of reading, which means in the end they learn more even if it's "less educational".

 

[Chocolate™]

There are those games like COD which have pointless shooting but they also teach somethings to the younger players. For examples the thing about the Tungsten rods in Ghosts.

But don't talk about those lame educational games. Nobody's going to play them just because they know it's supposed to be educational.

 

[CliCliW]

Hm, based on the previous responses, I wouldn't necessarily call video games "educational" in the sense that they provide us with additional knowledge that we may or may not have possessed originally, but rather they increase our mentalities. Like other members have mentioned, decision making, problem solving, etc. are all traits that are attributed to our cognitive processes, and I think that's the major benefit from video games. Of course there will be those individuals who argue video games lead to violence, but essentially, putting the content aside, the minuscule details and workings of video games I believe actually help us.

Basically, this is exactly what I'd be inclined to say. I see games not as being educational in the common sense of the word, but more boosting cognitive processes. Like, games can't teach you how to solve a problem exactly, but they facilitate the ability to let you solve it in a safe environment. I'm thinking more about games like Catherine and Portal here, where Puzzle-Solving is at the heart of it. If you mess up, you can try again without any real negative consequences. Some games like that encourage "outside the box" ways of thinking, which can enhance decision making and creativity, but they don't teach you how to do something.

I think the best thing about learning through games is the trial and error idea.

Take Mario. "Oh, I'll run this way, look at that funny brown mushroom, what happens if I walk into- oh. I guess that's wrong. I'll jump over it." *Accidentally lands on it and kills it* "Oh, I can kinda fight them". (because lets face it, be it Mario or Halo, you do have an approach like this!)

I like how games inspire creativity though, like Little Big Planet, Portal, Happy Wheels, even COD:WaW, where you make your own levels and platforms for others to play. I do think that they can facilitate more creative thinking, and do cause people to get more hands on in games.

I want to point out that I like what someone mentioned about Minecraft and resource management: That's a pretty good point! :)

 

[finalrayne]

Depends on the game but most games help improve hand eye coordination and help with problem solving skills. Games like assassins creed teach you some of the worlds history while throwing in some fiction most people can tell the difference on what actually took place in the era and what didn't but the areas you explore can kind of tell you what it generally looked like back in the day. I guess it is all a matter of opinion I've gained a wider vernacular from video games than I would in actual life.

 

[Fernbutter]

Eh, Hit and miss. I believe it helps in some fields.

Mostly this, when it's there, it's usually really helpful in a lot of ways and can help improve so much, then when it isn't there it's just random headshotting BS.